Rowers 'will improve on Beijing'

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Purchase and Hunter grab lightweight rowing gold

By Martin Gough

Gold medallist Zac Purchase says Great Britain's rowers can improve on their haul of six Olympic medals from Beijing in London in four years' time.

Purchase, from Tewkesbury, and Mark Hunter won GB's first ever lightweight medal in the double scull.

"In Beijing there were fantastic results but I think we can look at it as a stepping stone for London 2012.

"If we can be top of the rowing medal table without our home crowd, in London I'm sure we can do better," he said.

Only Great Britain and Australia won more than one gold on the Shunyi lake and GB's haul of six medals was two more than second-placed Canada.

There were silver medals for the women's quadruple scull and the men's eight and bronze for the men's and women's openweight doubles.

Purchase knows all about the venue for the 2012 regatta - Dorney Lake in Eton - as he set a world record in winning lightweight single sculls at the 2006 World Championships there.

As the event is not included in the Olympics he moved into the double last year with Hunter and the duo have gone unbeaten through 13 races this year.

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Hunter, 30, had said this season - his eighth in the GB senior squad - would be his last and he is taking a year off to coach college crew UCLA in Los Angeles.

But Purchase expects his partner to be back for more.

"He started off this year saying this would be the very, very last year he ever does it and he's going to retire full-stop," Purchase told BBC Sport.

"Now he's saying, 'I'll probably come back - I just need a bit of time out'."

And Purchase does not think his own motivation to keep going will be a problem.

"I do this sport because I love winning and I love racing and as long as it keeps going like that I'm sure I'll love doing it," he added.

"Four years is a long time but I've already done four years and in hindsight it doesn't seem that long."